FALL RIVER OPEN: Lawton one of four championships crowned

Ray Lawton took part in the Stop & Shop Fall River Open hoping to play some competitive tennis in preparation of his senior season at UMass Dartmouth.The fact he won the Advanced Singles division Saturday afternoon was just the icing on the cake. Lawton rallied to outlast Andrew Dunn 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 for one of four championships crowned on the final afternoon of the three-day tourney.

Lawton, a Fairhaven High School graduate, overcame a tough start against Dunn, who played in the three longest matches of the tournament.

“Andrew’s a great player,” said Lawton. “I entered for the competitive aspect and I thought it would be very good practice. It feels good to win and it was a great experience. I’ll be back next year.”

Saturday’s matches were all played in a stiff wind, something Lawton says played a factor in the match against Dunn.

“It made a huge difference to me,” Lawton said. “You had to play different depending on which side of the court you were on.”

Schwarzmann was the first champion crowned in the afternoon with his victory over Carreiro. Schwarzmann advanced to the finals by defeating Eric Gomes 6-1, 6-2 in the morning, while Carreiro knocked off Andy Howaycek 6-3, 6-4, also in a morning semifinal match.

Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Fall River Tennis & Education Foundation, a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides low cost and no cost programs to Fall River schools and students.